07 May 2008

Truthfully, I have never owned a bicycle. I have ridden a bicycle, but never have I actually owned one. And honestly, I don't own one now. But I'm close. My friend Eric let me borrow his bike for the summer. Eric told me to look for a royal blue colored bike chained up somewhere on the first floor of Campus Plaza. I think that everyone who lives on that floor of Campus Plaza owns a royal blue bike. Needless to say, I couldn't find it. But I got more specific information from Eric shortly after that bike-finding debacle.

Despite the info-getting impetus, the bike had been sitting at Campus Plaza for two weeks or more. I kept meaning to go get it, and I'm not sure why I hadn't. I think I was a little scared. Having a bike, riding it, riding it while wearing a backpack, all that sort of thing. I see other people like me doing it, but somehow it seemed rather advanced for my abilities.

Finally, yesterday, I obtained it. I was afraid somebody was going to look at me and say something as I walked away with it, as if I had just stolen it. I noticed the seat was rather high, but I couldn't really manage to get it lower. I thought I'd try anyway, and as I got on the bike, I fell off.

This was a hilarious moment, a moment which I'm sure several people observed. I was on 800 North in full daylight, after all. After I forced myself to laugh about the fact that I had just gotten my pants dirty, I started walking the bike. Then I had a grand idea that I could ride it without sitting on the seat. Which is how I got it home.

Today was a big day, though. I rode it to school. I rode it, and I rode it on campus as people were walking around, and they didn't look at me as if I was doing it for the first time. "Fools! I'm an expert!" I triumphantly exclaimed to myself in my own head.

Then I locked up the bike at the bike rack near the building, like a normal person, went to class. Afterward, I went to get it, anticipating the route I would drive it home on (can you say drive a bike?), and anticipating nervously going down the hill (would I die?).

Unfortunately, I'm not an expert; because, unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the lock for a second time. And if no one thought I was stealing it when I got it from Campus Plaza (I don't even live there), then they wouldn't have been convinced today when I spent about five minutes trying to unlock the freaking bike lock.